1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to liquid containers, and particularly, though not exclusively, relates to liquid containers that supply ink to ink-jet heads in ink-jet recording apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ink-jet printers using pigmented ink are well known.
When pigmented liquid ink is used, pigment components contained in the ink settle on the bottom of the liquid containers, and as a result, the concentration of pigment components varies from the top to the bottom of the liquid containers.
In order to reduce the non-uniformity of the density inclination of the pigmented ink in the containers, an ink tank shown in FIG. 17 includes agitating fins T2008 having shafts T2007 and T2009 and weights T2010 inside the ink tank. This ink tank is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-216761.
When a carriage of an ink-jet printer moves, the above-described components agitate the pigmented ink in the ink tank so as to reduce the non-uniformity of the density inclination inside the ink tank.
Moreover, an ink tank shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B disclosed in the same patent includes agitating balls T2013 disposed on the bottoms of ink-storage chambers T2001 and grooves T2012 along which the balls move.
An ink tank shown in FIG. 19 disclosed in the same patent includes walls T2014 forming flow channels in ink-storage chambers T2001 such that pigmented ink flows upward in the ink-storage chambers. Furthermore, the ink tank takes air from the exterior into the ink-storage chambers.
In these ink tanks having the above-described structures, air exists in the ink-storage chambers, and the air functions as a space in which the ink can move. When carriages reciprocate in the X direction, the ink tanks on the carriages also reciprocate.
In response to this reciprocation, the pigmented ink moves toward the space in the ink-storage chambers along the walls in the ink-storage chambers. Due to the transfer of ink in the ink tanks, the non-uniformity of the density inclination of the pigmented ink in the ink tanks is reduced.
However, the ink tank shown in FIG. 17 has a large number of parts for agitating the pigment components in the ink tank, and thus has a complicated structure.
Moreover, in ink tanks that do not take air into ink-storage chambers thereof, spaces in which ink can move do not exist in the ink-storage chambers. Thus, even when carriages reciprocate, the non-uniformity of the density inclination in the entire ink tanks is hardly reduced.